Migration policy body offers support to Pakistan

Experts call for protecting workers overseas, point to potential loss of remittances

With Pakistan facing a crisis at its borders in terms of people willing to return from overseas, an international migration policy body on Tuesday offered support to immigration officials who are at the frontline borders amidst the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Meanwhile, other experts called on the government to support the country’s massive migrant workers living overseas, while warning that a global recession could result in a drop in remittances.

This was expressed during an online consultation on ‘Migration/Border Management during COVID-19.” The consultation was organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Tuesday.

Raana Rahim, the country director for International Centre on Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), said ICMPD is trying to train officials on the lines of e-learning, health migration and border management.

“ICMPD realises that these measures entail providing equipment as the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) does not have the resources to benefit, so we’re trying to find a less costly solution,” she said, adding, “We need to provide PPE (personal protection equipment) to those who are at the frontline of the border.”

The ICMPD country head added that its border management and security department has a lot of capacity to provide policy support to Islamabad. She also offered her support to the labour market research cell, saying that the cell is meant to be institutionalized and should be an integral part of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis.

Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Pakistanis Director-General Kashif Ahmed Noor said that one immediate economic impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic was that foreign remittances — a major source of foreign exchange for the country — has already been affected, having halved in the past two months and expected to decrease by $1 billion to $1.5 billion per year if the situation persists any longer.

Apart from the loss to the foreign exchange reserves, Noor said that it will also directly impact an estimated 10,000 to 11,000 households.

Another segment to be impacted by the pandemic is Pakistan’s migrant workers who work abroad.

“There are around 60,000 people who were in the process of going abroad for their jobs. We are trying to negotiate with UAE and other countries to sustain them in these testing times,” Noor said.

He added the bureau will share its three-month database with the Overseas Pakistani Foundation and the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to facilitate all blue-collar workers.

“We cannot leave them helpless,” he added.

SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri said that it is time to pay back to the migrant workers who have been sending millions of dollars in remittances to Pakistan every year.

He stressed the need for devising a migrants protection policy, with comprehensive measures to protect the overall health of overseas workers when they would return to their homeland after finishing their jobs in the post-Covid-19 era.

The SDPI chief further said that insurance policies should be strengthened and policies currently in place regarding overseas Pakistanis should be broadened.

Social Protection Specialist Waqar Sherazi said that the socio-economic registries in Pakistan have the necessary database which can be filtered for overseas Pakistani labourers.

“Simulations can be run and a valuable dataset, information may be provided to the ministries concerned for their consumption and consequent support to the blue-collared overseas who lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” he said, adding, “The relief provided in this regard (to their families back at home) may help them survive the economic shock due to their job losses.“

He added that the upcoming worldwide recession due to Coronavirus outbreak would ultimately translate into potential Job loss of Pakistanis working overseas which will further result in a drastic reduction in remittances.

This will affect the induction of cash to the local economy and consequently, the local job market will also be affected. To avoid this situation, he said, the ministries concerned need to ensure minimum job loss to overseas Pakistanis by engaging the foreign governments.

SDPI Joint Executive Director Dr Vaqar Ahmed further warned that Pakistani workers overseas may have to come back soon as global economies slow down and GCC countries continue to suffer from abnormally low oil prices.

“Prime Minister's economic package needs to expand its scope and include assistance for the returning workers.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2020.